Are Shingon esoteric practice only available to those who ordained under a Shingon master and received the empowerment? How would lay practitioner go about cultivating under Shingon if he or she is not ordained nor received any empowerment?

“To be fully alive is to have an aesthetic perception of life because a major part of the world's goodness lies in its often unspeakable beauty.”― Yukitaka Yamamoto

There are some simplified practices that are taught to the laity. The esoteric rituals and some other more complex practices are reserved for the ordained. However, you do not need empowerment to recite mantras and sutras. You can find the prescribed lay service in English on shingon.org

So the practice for laity in Shingon is pretty much similar to other sect? I see in other sect such as Pure Land, beside the focus on Amida Nyorai, all involve reciting mantras. Is there mudras that laity can do or does that need empowerment?

Thank you,

“To be fully alive is to have an aesthetic perception of life because a major part of the world's goodness lies in its often unspeakable beauty.”― Yukitaka Yamamoto

TheSpirit wrote:So the practice for laity in Shingon is pretty much similar to other sect? I see in other sect such as Pure Land, beside the focus on Amida Nyorai, all involve reciting mantras. Is there mudras that laity can do or does that need empowerment?

I'm the wrong person to answer your first question as I am not well enough versed in the other schools of Buddhism yet.

Laity as a rule are not taught mudras with the exception of the cosmic mudra for sitting meditation. However, I was never taught anything about it beyond that I should do it as part of proper sitting meditation. For all I know, I might have been taught to do that just so I know what to do with my hands. My teacher doesn't particularly care if it completely collapses as I stop paying attention to it.

Johnny Dangerous wrote:Interesting, that looks like a great practice. So lay people do not get to do Sadhana etc. for specific Deities as in Tibetan Expression of Vajrayana? I.e., only the ordained get empowerment?

I don't know the details, but there lay people are permitted to initiated into the mandalas used in Shingon Buddhism as described in the Mahavairocana Sutra and establish a karmic connection. Following the MV Sutra's instructions, the deity on which a flower that they toss lands shoud be venerated by that initiate. I don't know of any "empowerment" for lay people beyond this ritual*. The mantras for these deities are not really held secret, so specifically instructed or not, there is nothing stopping a lay person from practicing veneration by reciting the deity's mantra. They would not be taught any mudra that I am aware of, and I don't know if a priest may or may not teach them visualization exercises.

Beyond that, participation by the lay people that I have been a part of involves reciting mantras and the Heart Sutra during public rituals. The Goma is particularly intense for me and leaves my mind particularly clear at its conclusion. It's a sensation that is difficult to describe.

*Actually the temple that I frequent offers "empowerment" blessings, but it has nothing to do with transmitting a practice.

Seems like Shingon is truly esoteric then, not much offered to those without empowerment or ordination. From what you said about using Mudra during meditation, a lot of Zen practitioner will form a simple mudra while meditating as well so it is quite similar to other exoteric practice.

I am grateful for your help. Thank you.

“To be fully alive is to have an aesthetic perception of life because a major part of the world's goodness lies in its often unspeakable beauty.”― Yukitaka Yamamoto

TheSpirit wrote:Seems like Shingon is truly esoteric then, not much offered to those without empowerment or ordination. From what you said about using Mudra during meditation, a lot of Zen practitioner will form a simple mudra while meditating as well so it is quite similar to other exoteric practice.

I am grateful for your help. Thank you.

Well due to shingon and tendai influence in zen you may find complicated mudra practices with proper mantras as well...

TheSpirit wrote:Are Shingon esoteric practice only available to those who ordained under a Shingon master and received the empowerment? How would lay practitioner go about cultivating under Shingon if he or she is not ordained nor received any empowerment?

I am not affilated with shingon in any way, though in my family there are some connections.. so i can speak more from observation than experience. As far as I know, including testimonies of my shingon friends one needs ordination if one wants to practice shingon-mantrayana proper. However those who I knew or met, who were deeply involved in shingon-mantrayana and were not obliged to take over family temple, or had no connection to temples, but just themselves had this strong affinity to tradition and practice, often returned to a lay life after completing obligatory practices and education in mantrayana. Then they had full access into the way, but did not have to be monks or nuns in a practical sense. And they had just regular life... one of my father's friends is very popular female singer, actor and writer. She is wonderful, but has deep insight in mantrayana practices and teachings. So it seems to be the way people do it in Japan.. take ordination go for practice, retreat, empowerments etc. and after sometime return to regular life, but they have all what they need. However it seems to be very different than in the West with Tibetan vajrayana. Here people can take as they wish any sort of empowerment/abhisheka, and virtually do nothing later on, or at least not much... but in the case of Japanese mantrayana if you get ordained, then rather must do required retreats etc. and it may be much more strenuos... I do not say that it is very deep or enlightening, just one is somehow forced to do it with full power in comparison to this what I could witness in the West with Tibetan vajrayana done by majority of Westreners. I do not critisize, but just observe and compare. Anyway this easiness with which one can get an abhisheka from lamas was an advantage I took personally

TheSpirit wrote:Seems like Shingon is truly esoteric then, not much offered to those without empowerment or ordination. From what you said about using Mudra during meditation, a lot of Zen practitioner will form a simple mudra while meditating as well so it is quite similar to other exoteric practice.

I am grateful for your help. Thank you.

The mudra used in zazen is the same I was taught by my Shingon teacher. That mudra along with chanting of sutras is the left over esoteric practice that remains in Zen Buddhism.

DrLang wrote:The mudra used in zazen is the same I was taught by my Shingon teacher. That mudra along with chanting of sutras is the left over esoteric practice that remains in Zen Buddhism.

There is more than one mudra commonly used in zazen.

There are many other mantra/mudra used in some Zen practice, as Matylda mentioned.

It's important to remember that "Zen" is not one standardized school, but rather a collection of many branching teaching lines. The actual practices stressed by these diverse lines, or even by individual teachers within the same line, can vary surprisingly. This is the case even with branches that share common connection to the larger "trees" of Soto-shu, Rinzai-shu, etc.

Which has nothing to do with the question of who can practice Shingon, of course. Apologies.

Meido wrote:It's important to remember that "Zen" is not one standardized school, but rather a collection of many branching teaching lines. The actual practices stressed by these diverse lines, or even by individual teachers within the same line, can vary surprisingly. This is the case even with branches that share common connection to the larger "trees" of Soto-shu, Rinzai-shu, etc.

Which has nothing to do with the question of who can practice Shingon, of course. Apologies.

~ Meido

Yes though it is off topic I would like to add a pinch of salt to this dish There are many things like these in both soto and rinzai... some rinzai lineages are pretty much into it. However in soto it seems to be very common to find esoteric practices and they are taught to priests who mostly completed shiho, or dharma transmission. And it all depends on particualr history of the lineage or personal research of particualr individual. Specially interesting is personal pursuit, and if correctly incorporated could be used also by next generations of the lineage. Another side is a history.. in the case of soto tradition at certain moment some shingon masters got deep interest and practiced in this tradition becoming lineage holders as well... then the influence was natural and easy one. And it is true that there is a big variety sometimes. If in lineage is tendai influence we can discern it by the way mudras are done or mantras recited...

TheSpirit wrote:Seems like Shingon is truly esoteric then, not much offered to those without empowerment or ordination.

That is correct, both ordination and empowerments are absolute requirements, along with the long retreat periods. As Matylda points out, it is possible to return to lay life afterward and continue the practice.

I'm not sure which came first, but the following reasons are why I chant Akasagarbha and Ksitigarbha mantras without any transmission:

• Shingon and its usage of "A" (like Dzogchen) http://www.davidmoreton.com/echoes/ajikan.html• the story of Kukai chanting the Morning Star mantra and—BLAMMO!—getting a result• the discovery that Akasagarbha is my protector deity based on Chinese zodiac and also the twin of Ksitigarbha and how incredibly awesome both of these "twins" are• the discovery that Akasagarbha is like a space buddha (space treasury) and Ksitigarbha is like an earth buddha (earth treasury) and my considerations of the sky and earth wheels of a properly-made prayer wheel vs. the relative importance of Akasagarbha, Ksitigarbha and Guanyin/Avalokitesvara in Japanese and Chinese Buddhism.

I am curious about the Akasagarbha movements that are taught in Shingon schools because I wonder if it is anything like Namkhai Norbu's Vajra Dance. I'm guessing it's probably not the same thing at all, but I wonder if there is any similarity of movement.

Seems like they are all in agreement that there are 16 mudras and movements, anyway. I believe Shingon is very strict, though, so I'm not sure if this teaching is just something for any old Joe to pick up at a Sunday yoga class.

"Use what seems like poison as medicine. We can use our personal suffering as the path to compassion for all beings." Pema Chodron

I'm an ordinary lay person with no connection to a Shingon temple. I've practiced Ajikan Meditation for years. I received my first instructions for Ajikan at Koyasan and later took an Ajikan class at the Sacramento Koyasan Shingon Temple. Ajikan is a basic Three Secrets (Mantra/Mudra/Yantra) that any lay person can practice. It's simple but deep. Who can practice Shingon? This is a meditation open to everyone.